STACK 
ANNEX 


Eliof  $cKooI 


-OK- 


MANUAL  TRAINING. 


PLHIN,  MKSS. 
JULY,    1892. 


'fy.tt.rnf.ti.tf.F&wfp'ft 

.•CKI  -•(.-  ^'v.1^  «• 


of  California 
Regional 
Facility 


2065691 


manual  Training  at  me  Eliot  School. 

The  introduction  of  some  form  of  tool  work  in  the  earliest 
*t;i<res  of  education  is  only  an  extension  of  the  laboratory  method 
of  instruction,  which  has  become  nearly  universal  within  the  last 
twenty  years  in  the  colleges  and  technical  schools. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  laboratory  training  of  the 
higher  schools,  not  only  gives  experimental  skill,  but  cultivates 
the  imagination,  strengthens  the  judgment  and  forms  habits  of 
ai-i-iirate  thinking;  and  it  is  daily  becoming  more  clear  that, 
according  as  the  mind  is  well  or  ill  trained  before  it  comes  to 
the  college  work,  so  is  the  success  or  failure  of  the  pupil  most 
probable. 

Some  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Eliot  School,  being  intimately  con- 
nected with  one  of  the  pioneer  technical  schools,  it  is  quite 
natural  that  the  Board,  in  common  with  other  thoughtful 
educators,  should  consider  the  introduction  of  manual  training 
into  the  grammar  schools. 

In  looking  for  the  best  uses  to  which  the  Eliot  School  funds 
could  be  applied,  the  Trustees  decided  that  if  the  Board  could 
contribute  a  substantial  block  of  knowledge  upon  the  ways  and 
means  of  accomplishing  the  introduction  of  some  form  of  manual 
training  into  the  grammar  schools,  it  would  not  only  be  bene- 
fiting Jamaica  Plain  boys,  but  possibly  a  larger  constituency. 

A  summer  class  was  first  started  as  an  experiment  in  1881. 

The  next  step  was  to  furnish  instruction  to  classes  from  the 
public  schools  in  the  vicinity,  which,  with  the  permission  of  the 
School  Board,  were  attended  during  the  year  1889-90  by  the 
pupils  of  five  grammar  schools  and  one  high  school.  It  was  in- 
tended to  give  the  course  to  the  graduating  class  only,  but  it  so 
happened  that  pupils  came  from  the  three  upper  grades,  a  fortu- 
nate misunderstanding  as  it  proved,  since  it  gave  at  the  outset  an 
opportunity  to  make  a  valuable  comparison  of  interest,  ability 
and  mental  growth  in  the  three  classes  during  the  year.  In  the 
year  1890-91,  the  work  was  given  to  the  second  grammar  grade 


2  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE   OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

only,  the  pupils  coming  from  four  schools.  Beside  the  classes 
from  the  public  schools,  a  private  class  of  very  young  children 
was  given  a  course  in  thin  work.  During  this  year  and  sub- 
sequently, the  school  received  from  the  City  of  Boston,  not  only 
moral  support,  but  financial  aid. 

In  1891-92,  the  third  year  of  the  experiment,  a  four  years' 
course  was  given  to  the  four  upper  grades  of  a  single  grammar 
school. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  plan  outlined  in  the  following  pages 
was  perfected  as  a  result  of  actual  experience,  and  that,  whatever 
its  merits,  it  has  been  carefully  thought  out,  and  the  Trustees 
now  place  the  results  before  the  public  in  the  hope  that  some 
substantial  good  may  result. 


Trustees  of 

the 
Eliot  School. 


M.  D.  Ross,  Chairman. 
FRANCIS  V.  BALCH. 
CHARLES  F.  CURTIS. 
WILLIAM  E.  JAMES. 
GEN.  THOMAS  SHERWIN. 
PROF.  ROBERT  H.  RICHARDS. 
T.  G.  HILER,  Treasurer. 


II  Description  of  me  Eliot  scnooi  Course. 

BY    PRANK    M.    LEAVITT. 

The  Eliot  School  course  in  manual  training  is  a  course  in 
tool  work  and  drawing  adapted  to  the  large  classes  of  graded 
schools. 

It  is  arranged  to  be  an  integral  part  of  the  school  curriculum 
and  not  a  side  issue,  and  reinforces  the  other  branches,  both 
directly  and  indirectly,  by  making  the  pupil  more  careful, 
thoughtful  and  methodical  in  his  work. 

In  its  present  form  it  is  laid  out  for  the  four  upper  grades  of 
the  grammar  school,  three  years'  experience  of  the  several 
classes  having  convinced  us  that  the  best  results  are  to  be 
expected  when  the  whole  class  is  taught  together. 

The  system  was  originally  based  on  the  course  of  Russian 
manual  training,  as  introduced  by  Dr.  Runkle,  in  1876,  in  the 
school  of  Mechanic  Arts  at  the  Mass.  Institute  of  Technology, 
but  has  been  largely  influenced  by  that  modification  of  Swedish 
Sloyd  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Larsson,  of  the  Apple- 
ton  St.  School. 

This  particular  combination  is  a  result  of  our  study  of  the 
relative  value  of  exercises  as  illustrations  of  principles  and  of 
finished  pieces,  and  of  the  degree  of  interest  felt  by  the  boy  in 
each.  We  found  that  the  more  advanced  the  boy,  the  greater 
his  interest  in  exercises ;  the  pleasures  of  solving  the  problem 
being  sufficient  in  itself  to  keep  up  interest,  aside  from  the  value 
of  the  piece  when  finished.  This  state  of  mind  should,  however, 
be  led  up  to  by  preliminary  work. 

The  relation  of  drawing  and  tool  work  has  been  one  of  the 
most  important  features  of  our  methods,  both  being  taught  as 
the  expression  of  thought ;  drawing,  like  writing,  as  a  means  of 
expressing  or  recording  facts,  facts  of  form  and  dimension,  and 
tool  work  as  an  expression  of  those  facts  in  material. 

The  accuracy  of  mechanical  drawing,  apart  from  its  own 
peculiar  value,  is  of  benefit  to  all  drawing,  educating  the  eye  as 
it  does  to  nicer  measurements  of  proportion,  and  the  hand  to 
straightforward,  unfaltering  work.  It  is  at  one  with  all  drawing 
as  the  expression  of  facts  of  form  and  dimension. 

All  possible  helps  to  increased  power  of  expression  are 
needed,  because  the  average  boy  is  clumsy  (if  we  may  be  allowed 
the  word.)  His  eye  is  clumsy,  he  does  not  see  things 


4  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

correctly,  he  misjudges  form  and  proportion.  His  hand  is 
clumsy,  when  he  has  done  the  thing,  he  cannot  tell  what  he  has 
done.  His  mind  is  clumsy,  for  he  neither  sees,  executes,  speaks 
nor  thinks  methodically ;  he  is  just  as  likely  to  do  his  work  first 
and  his  thinking  afterward,  as  to  proceed  correctly. 

Our  method  from  the  first  has  been  that  of  class  instruction, 
and  by  that  we  do  not  mean  that  every  boy  does  the  same  thing 
at  the  same  time,  like  a  company  of  soldiers  on  dress  parade, 
but  that  each  exercise  is  demonstrated  to  the  whole  class,  and 
then  each  boy  is  supposed  to  work  the  exercises  as  indepen- 
dently of  the  teacher  as  possible.  Those  finishing  before  the 
end  of  the  session  are  given  extra  work.  We  thus  get  the 
stimulus  of  class  work. 

As  has  been  said,  the  course  is  a  combination  of  drawing  and 
tool  work. 

The  drawing  has  been  principally,  but  not  wholly,  mechanical 
or  constructive  drawing,  namely,  that  done  with  instruments,  T 
square,  triangle,  etc. 

The  tool  work  deals  with  the  construction,  first,  of  simple 
pieces,  later,  with  some  principles  of  construction,  then  with  the 
application  of  those  principles  resulting  in  finished  pieces  again, 
and  always  with  the  use  of  the  ordinary  wood-working  tools. 

The  following  is  an  outline  of  the  work  of  each  grade. 

The  course  being  based  on  a  progression  of  ideas,  and  not 
upon  a  series  of  definite  models,  it  is  impossible  to  illustrate  it 
fully,  but  the  accompanying  plates  show  the  models  used  in  the 
development  of  the  ideas. 

FIRST  YEAR  OR  FOURTH  GRADE. 

The  first  year's  work  is  shown  in  the  nineteen  pieces  of  the 
class  known  as  the  fourth  grade.  In  this  year  drawing  is  the 
special  feature,  light  tool  work  only,  being  introduced.  The 
thin  wood  (one  quarter  inch)  eliminates  all  question  of  form, 
other  than  in  two  dimensions.  A  piece  of  thin  stock  is  fastened 
firmly  to  the  bench,  in  such  a  position  that  it  may  be  drawn 
upon  by  means  of  the  ordinary  draughtsman's  instruments,  T 
square,  triangle,  arid  compasses.  The  drawings  consist  of  plane 
figures  which  are  made  up  of  horizontal,  vertical,  and  oblique 
lines,  arcs  of  circles,  and  some  free-hand  curves,  and  are  such  as 
require  for  their  construction  a  few  geometrical  problems. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  lesson  the  model  is  held  by  the  teacher, 
who  makes  the  draAving  step  by  step  on  the  blackboard  at  the 
direction  of  the  class,  in  response  to  the  question,  "What  must  be 
done  next  ? "  the  pupil  being  required  to  express  himself 


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j. 


ELIOT    SCHOOL   COURSE   OF    MANUAL   TRAINING.  5 

accurately.  After  the  pupils  have  drawn  the  figure  on  wood,  it 
is  cut  out  by  means  of  a  bracket  saw,  and  finished  with  a  plane 
and  file. 

The  lesson  not  only  results  in  a  finished  piece,  but  makes  clear 
to  the  child  the  meaning  of  drawing  and  the  importance  of 
accuracy.  The  pupil  thus  begins  at  once  to  make  accurate  work- 
ing drawings  from  models  and  models  from  drawings. 

The  demonstration  in  tool  work  is  also  given  to  the  whole 
class  at  once,  and  is  at  first  simply  a  direction  'and  a  reason.  Of 
course,  individual  help  is  given  during  the  lesson  when  necessary, 
but  it  is  preferable  that  once  directed,  the  child  like  the  man, 
should  learn  by  experience. 

SECOND  YEAR  OH  THIRD  GRADE. 

The  second  years'  work  is  shown  in  the  nine  figures  under  the 
third  grade. 

The  drawing  of  the  second  year  continues  all  the  principles 
and  practices  of  the  first  year,  and  introduces  thickness  with  its 
necessary  additional  views.  When  the  piece  is  of  thick  wood 
(as  in  figure  3-5)  the  drawing  is  done  in  exactly  the  same  way 
as  during  the  first  year,  except  that  the  pupil  is  led  to  greater 
independence.  When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  piece  is  to  be  cut 
from  thick  stock  (as  in  figure  3-6),  two  views  are  drawn  on  the 
thin  wood  and  these  are  cut  out  and  used  as  templates,  or 
patterns,  in  working  out  the  real  piece.  The  pupil  thus  learns 
what  top,  front  and  side  views  really  are. 

The  tool  work  introduces  more  and  larger  tools,  making  a 
special  feature  of  the  form  work. 

THIRD  TEAR  OR  SECOND  GRADE. 

The  third  year's  work  is  shown  in  the  ten  figures  of  the  second 
grade. 

The  more  practical  methods  in  botli  drawing  and  tool 
work  are  here  introduced.  The  two  are  here  separated  for 
a  time,  the  pupil  making  on  paper  correct  working  drawings 
simply  as  illustrative  of  principles,  and  in  tool  work,  executing 
various  exercises  from  prepared  drawings,  and  using  for  marking 
out  the  rule,  square,  gauge,  and  bevel,  that  is  the  ordinary  tools 
used  by  the  mechanic  for  that  purpose.  The  drawing  and  tool 
work  are  at  length  brought  together  again,  the  pupil  making  in 
the  school  room  the  working  drawings  of  the  models  he  is  after- 
ward to  make  in  the  shop.  This  temporary  separation  of  the 
drawing  and  tool  work,  while  not  absolutely  necessary,  is  thought 
advisable  for  the  following  reasons:  The  subjects  are  now  to  be 
presented  to  him  in  a  new  light,  the  drawing  as  a  means  of  ex- 
pressing to  some  one  else  facts  of  form  and  dimension  necessary 


6  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OF   MANUAL   TRAINING. 

for  the  construction  of  the  piece,  the  tool  work  as  the  expression 
in  wood  of  facts  some  one  else  has  expressed  in  drawing.  Then, 
too,  the  whole  subject  of  putting  on  dimensions  must  be  taught ; 
that  is,  of  expressing  accurately  all  the  facts  about  the  model, 
though  the  pupil,  by  reading  the  drawings  for  the  two  previous 
years,  has  unconsciously  been  learning  this  most  important 
branch.  He  has  been  learning  how  to  express  himself  in  drawing 
by  seeing  his  teacher  draw,  as  he  has  been  learning  to  express 
himself  verbally  by  hearing  his  teacher  talk. 

FOURTH  YEAR  OR  FIRST  GRADE. 

The  work  of  the  fourth  year  is  shown  in  the  seven  figures  of 
the  first  grade. 

The  tool  work  illustrates  further  principles  of  construction, 
and  brings  the  whole  course  into  harmony  and  unity  in  the  two 
finished  pieces,  the  construction  of  which  involves  a  familiarity 
with  all  that  has  gone  before.  These  pieces  are  made  entirely 
from  the  pupil's  own  drawings  and  these  are  made  in  four  ways : 
First,  from  models  with  blackboard  instruction ;  second,  from 
models  only;  third,  with  a  written  description  with  one  model  to 
make  the  meaning  clear ;  and  fourth,  from  a  written  description 
only,  being  thus  purely  the  expression  of  thought. 

It  will  be  evident  to  any  one  who  has  followed  the  course  thus 
far  that  while  each  year's  work  of  seventy  hours  can  readily  be 
given  independently  of  the  rest,  yet  that  there  is  a  very  distinct 
advantage  in  having  the  whole  given  in  consecutive  order,  that 
the  greatest  possible  benefit  may  be  derived  by  the  pupils  for  the 
time  spent. 

In  conclusion,  we  will  recapitulate  the  aims  we  have  had  in 
view. 

To  plan  a  course,  helpful  in  every  possible  way  to  the  mental 
and  moral  development  of  the  child,  giving  him  confidence  in  his 
own  power  of  expression  and  of  execution,  and  to  make  it  such 
that  it  could  be  successfully  carried  out  with  the  large  classes  of 
the  grammar  school.  How  far  we  have  succeeded  in  attaining 
our  ideal,  the  experience  of  other  teachers  must  determine. 


A  paper  read  at  the  Conference  on  Manual  Training,  Boston,  April  9, 1892. 

manual  Training  as  an  inspiration  to  msniai  Development. 

BY    ROBERT    H.    RICHARDS. 

In  discussing  manual  training  before  you  today,  I  do  not 
indulge  in  the  hope  that  I  shall  be  so  fortunate  as  to  say  any- 
thing that  is  new.  I  believe,  however,  I  can  attack  this  problem 
from  an  entirely  different  standpoint  from  that  taken  by  others; 
namely,  as  a  representative  of  one  of  the  class  of  boys  to  whom 
manual  training  would  have  been  an  especial  boon,  had  it  been 
developed  thirty-five  years  ago. 

My  paper  will  therefore  begin  with  manual  training  as  an 
inspiration  to  mental  development,  and,  since  my  name  has  been 
honored  by  the  first  place  on  the  list  in  the  present  programme, 
I  think  it  will  be  quite  proper  for  me  to  say  a  few  words  upon 
the  following  topics  also :  "The  Choice  of  Materials  for  Manual 
Training,"  "The  Definition  of  Trade-schools,"  and  "Manual 
Training  Schools  both  Swedish  and  Russian,  and  the  Use  of 
them." 

I  feel  still  further  that  I  have  sufficient  reason  for  speaking  of 
these  in  the  fact  that  people's  minds  always  drift  toward  a  trade- 
school,  whenever  tool-work  is  spoken  of.  We  cannot,  therefore, 
too  often  emphasize  the  statement  that  manual  training  is  intel- 
lectual training, — teaching  the  child  how  to  think. 

I  will  now  take  the  liberty  to  refer  to  such  portions  of  my 
own  personal  history  as  seem  to  bear  upon  manual  training  as  an 
inspiration  to  mental  development. 

Up  to  twenty-one  years  of  age  I  was  the  dunce  of  every  school 
I  attended.  But,  while  I  was  doing  nothing  with  books,  my 
mind  was  always  active.  I  was  actively  interested  in  learning 
about  nature,  and  boys'  out-of-door  sports.  I  well  remember 
the  labor  that  was  expended  upon  me  to  try  to  teach  me  how  to 
read.  My  teacher  put  the  book  upside  down  in  front  of  me,  and 
left  me  half  an  hour.  She  then  returned,  and  said,  "  Robert,  are 
you  studying  ?"  I  answered,  "Yes,  as  hard  as  I  can."  She 
pointed  to  the  book,  which  was  still  upside  down.  I  cried  when 
I  found  how  I  had  deceived  her.  How,  then,  could  I  have  told 
her  such  a  lie,  when  I  believed  I  was  telling  her  the  truth  ?  My 
answer  is  that  there  was  an  obstacle  between  me  and  the  reading 
which  was  invisible  to  the  teacher  and  indescribable  by  me. 

Various  attempts  were  made  to  give  me  a  good  start  at  school 


8  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

in  this  country,  and  later  in  England,  with  little  success  from  the 
school-teacher's  point  of  view.  At  fifteen  years  of  age,  while 
living  in  the  south  of  England,  a  Cambridge  University  man  was 
engaged  as  private  tutor  to  myself  and  brother.  He  made  me 
study,  and  he  made  me  recite.  By  his  will  he  forced  me  to 
overcome  the  barrier  between  me  and  my  lessons.  After  lessons 
he  read  Grimms'  "  Household  Tales "  to  us,  and  other  stories 
which  fired  the  youthful  imagination.  He  took  us  long  walks  to 
the  woods,  the  fields,  the  swamps,  and  the  streams.  We  named 
all  the  wild  places  we  visited,  from  the  incidents  he  had  read  to 
us.  I  remember  today  where  Philip  Slingsby  slew  the  dragon. 
We  also  watched  the  habits  of  birds  and  insects,  and  many  an 
interesting  fact  was  stored  up  in  this  way. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  we  went  to  school  at  Wellington 
College,  a  school  modelled  on  the  lines  of  Rugby.  All  personal 
pressure  was  removed,  and  now,  as  formerly,  my  lessons  were 
never  learned.  The  same  barrier,  the  same  missing  link,  was 
between  me  and  my  books ;  and  the  promise  to  my  mother  that  I 
would  do  my  very  best  was  of  no  avail,  on  account  of  it.  At 
this  time  I  learned  to  be  a  pretty  good  cricketer  and  foot-ball 
player ;  but  my  ramble  in  the  woods,  by  the  streams  and  lakes, 
over  the  heather,  watching  the  habits  of  birds  and  animals,  col- 
lecting insects,  were  my  chief  delight. 

The  custom  of  the  school  was  to  hold  out  prizes  as  induce- 
ments to  the  boys  to  work,  the  dead  languages  not  having  suffi- 
cient attraction  even  for  the  bright  boys.  I  earned  one  prize  by 
good  conduct  at  drill ;  and  when  my  master,  for  whom  I  had  a 
warm  regard,  invited  me  to  select  my  prize,  he  having  just 
pointed  out  a  Longfellow  or  a  Shakspere  to  a  bright  boy  who 
preceded  me,  said  to  me,  with  almost  a  sneer,  "Here  is  a  book  on 
toads  and  frogs ;  I  suppose  you  will  like  that,"  I  took  the  book 
with  my  teeth  shut  and  my  fists  clenched,  when  I  felt  the  sting  of 
his  remark,  which  showed  me  that,  in  his  opinion,  if  I  was  learn- 
ing anything  at  the  school,  that  something  was  beneath  his  con- 
sideration. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age  I  went  to  Phillips  Academy  at 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  and  while  there  I  studied  as  hard  as  I  have  ever 
studied.  It  was,  however,  wholly  up-hill  work,  and  I  remained 
at  the  foot  of  my  class,  in  spite  of  my  efforts.  While  in  Eng- 
land I  did  not  study,  because  my  mind  was  on  other  things. 
When  at  Exeter,  I  tried  hard  to  study,  and  failed  because  no 
comprehensible  reason  could  be  given  me  for  the  study  of  the 
dead  languages.  I  never  could  see  the  use  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
and  no  teacher  was  able  to  make  their  use  plain  to  my  mind. 
The  answer  always  came  to  me,  "I  tell  you  it  is  good  for  you, 
and  you  must  do  as  I  tell  you." 


ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL    TRAINING.  9 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  I  finally  went  to  the  Ma— a- 
chusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  The  school  was  just  opened. 
There  were  six  other  pupils  besides  myself.  With  them  I  imme- 
diately began  the  study  of  chemistry,  geology,  mineralogy, 
surveying,  physics,  and  drawing  by  laboratory  lidd  work,  aecom- 
panied  by  lectures.  Almost  the  very  day  I  reached  the  Institute 
the  scales  began  to  drop  from  my  eyes,  and  1  began  to  see  for 
the  first  time  what  a  school  was  for,  and  that  its  main  duty  was 
not  to  worry  slow  boys.  I  began  to  see  that  French  and  Ger- 
man were  of  use,  because  they  told  me  how  my  laboratory  work 
was  to  be  done,  and  why  it  was  to  be  done  so.  Chemistry 
opened  my  eyes  to  the  wonderful  labyrinth,  ever  widening  in  all 
directions,  of  that  department  of  nature.  Physics  enchanted  me 
with  its  wonderful  and  varied  range  of  phenomena.  In  fact  I 
found  that  the  new  school  was  teaching  me  nature,  which  I  had 
been  learning  how  to  love  and  to  study  all  my  life,  was  teaching 
me  nature  by  direct  contact,  and  that  mathematics,  language  and 
history  were  nothing  but  means  to  the  end.  The  whole  aspect 
of  school  life  was  at  once  inverted.  I  now  studied  because  I 
could  not  help  it,  while  I  had  previously  studied  because  I  knew 
I  ought  to  Avant  to  study.  My  barrier  was  gone,  and  why  ?  I 
was  now  converting,  not  print,  but  observation,  into  thought,  and 
thoughts  into  acts  (drawings,  experiments,  field-work.)  My  books 
became  merely  a  tool  to  help  me  convert  observation  into  thought. 
The  use  of  books  being  at  last  found  out,  I  could  not  read  or 
study  enough  to  satisfy  my  craving  for  knowledge,  experience 
and  skill. 

I  think  at  the  time  I  told  that  lie  about  my  lesson  that  I  was 
designing  a  culvert  for  iny  little  road  that  I  had  made,  on  whieh 
I  drove  my  toy  carriages.  I  am  still  troubled  with  my  mind 
wandering  off  from  the  business  in  hand.  I  had,  while  I  was 
writing  this  very  paper,  an  idea  strike  me  which  interfered 
seriously  with  my  work  upon  the  paper.  I  had  to  work  it  out 
before  I  could  leave  it;  and  the  result  of  it  is  I  have  invented  a 
new  objective  for  a  surveying  instrument,  which  looks  now  as  if 
it  would  become  quite  an  important  addition  to  the  plane  table 
and  stadia  work  of  the  civil  engineer.  This  absent-minded  ne.-> 
is  a  very  troublesome  quality  to  have. 

Soon  after  graduating  from  the  Institute,  President  Runkle 
placed  me  in  charge  of  the  designing,  equipping,  and  managing 
the  new  mining  laboratory  of  the  Institute.  I  knew  only  the 
little  that  a  graduate  from  a  very  imperfect  course  in  mining  and 
metallurgy  might  be  expected  to  know,  and  that  hampered  by  the 
fact  that  I  was  naturally  slow  at  books.  I  once  heard  IV. ii 
Runkle  remark  "How  wonderful  it  is  that  Kiehards  should  have 
such  an  aptitude  for  designing  apparatus  and  arranging  the 


10  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

practical  side  of  this  mining  course  !"  Professor  Runkle  did  not 
know  that  I  had  spent  the  first  twent}r-one  years  of  my  life  in 
learning  how  to  observe,  and  that,  however  little  guided,  how- 
ever unsystematic,  however  much  looked  down  upon  by  my 
teachers  for  doing  it,  I  had  gained  a  great  deal ;  and  the  gain  that 
I  had  made  was  beginning  to  show  in  results. 

I  do  not  know  how  to  account  for  my  extreme  difficulty  in 
learning.  I  have  heard  no  physiological  theory  to  explain  it.  I 
think,  however,  that  it  is  in  this  way:  the  step  one  takes  in  con- 
verting the  printed  page  of  a  book  into  thought  is  a  very  wide 
leap,  probably  the  widest  leap  a  child  ever  has  to  make.  If  I 
were  told  to  jump  a  stream  twenty-five  feet  wide,  I  should  not  even 
try  to  do  it,  knowing  the  jump  impossible;  but,  if  stepping-stones 
were  put  in,  three  feet  apart,  I  could  cross  the  stream  with  ease 
and  pleasure.  I  think  the  Institute  of  Technology  put  in  the  miss- 
ing stepping-stones,  and  converted  the  study  which  had  always 
been  to  me  a  hated  task,  done  only  from  love  for  my  mother, 
into  an  active,  living,  and  intense  interest. 

Now,  how  could  this  be  ?  How  could  one  school  make  ideas 
so  clear,  when  another  school  had  not  done  so  ?  Let  me  see  if 
I  can  answer  this  question.  If  I  convert  a  page  of  print  into 
thought,  I  require  to  read  the  page  perhaps  several  times,  making 
notes  as  I  go,  taking  me  some  minutes,  perhaps  hours,  to  under- 
stand it.  If  I  convert  a  working  drawing  into  thought,  I  glance 
at  it,  again  a  second  time — yes,  I  understand  perfectly.  Seconds 
only  are  required.  The  written  description  of  an  object  that 
would  take  ten  minutes,  perhaps  hours,  to  understand,  is  acquired 
more  perfectly  by  a  few  seconds  from  the  drawing.  In  fact, 
drawing  is  a  separate  language  by  which  ideas  are  conveyed  with 
but  a  very  small  expenditure  of  time  and  effort,  compared  with 
print.  But,  still  better,  it  is  a  universal  language.  The  Ameri- 
can can  talk  to  the  Russian  by  a  drawing  as  fluently  as  though 
they  had  been  born  and  bred  in  the  same  country.  Drawing 
becomes,  therefore,  a  means  of  cultivating  the  intellectual  faculty, 
and  we  must  now  consider  how  it  can  best  accomplish  this  end. 
Free-hand  sketching  is  good.  So  also  is  mechanical  drawing. 
They  cultivate  the  hand  and  the  eye  to  accurate  observation  and 
reproduction,  as  well  as  the  eye  for  beauty. 

The  act  of  making  objects  by  copying  from  a  like  model  does 
the  same  thing.  But  when  a  child  makes  a  drawing  from  an 
object,  and  then  makes  an  object  of  that  drawing,  he  has  derived 
not  only  the  advantages  from  both,  but  he  has  done  a  great  deal 
more :  he  has  found  out  the  use  of  one  of  the  greatest  tools  of 
modern  progress, — namely,  a  working  drawing.  The  working 
drawing  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  grand  central  idea  around  which 
all  the  practical  hand-work  of  the  school  should  be  crystalized. 


ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE   OF   MANUAL   TRAINING.  11 

Later  I  expect  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  a  course  can  be  so 
laid  out  as  to  lead  the  boy  gradually  to  a  perfect  understanding 
of  it. 

I  do  not  think  my  experience  is  extraordinary  or  unique.  I 
fancy  every  school  has  in  it  just  such  boys  as  I  was.  For  them 
this  new  scheme  of  object-teaching  is  of  the  highest  importance, 
as  it  gives  them  the  stepping-stones  so  much  needed.  On  the 
other  hand,  for  the  bright  boys,  the  new  system  serves  to  give 
them  a  chance  to  measure  themselves  alongside  of  their  neighbors 
by  some  other  standard  than  their  speed  of  converting  print  into 
thought;  and  it  gives  them  a  chance  to  see  that  there  are  some 
things  in  the  world  to  be  done  that  require  a  little  care,  a  little 
time,  a  little  thought,  and  a  little  patience,  all  of  which  are  most 
excellent  lessons  for  the  bright,  swift  thinker  to  learn. 

I  heard  a  master  of  one  of  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  whose 
pupils  were  taking  a  course  in  wood-work  at  the  Eliot  School  in 
. Jamaica  Plain  remark  that  he  had  a  number  of  dull  boys  that  he 
could  do  nothing  with.  Shortly  after  the  carpentry  began  they 
suddenly  seemed  to  open  out  and  understand  what  their  lessons 
were  for. 

In  my  teaching  at  the  Institute  of  Technology,  I  have  had  in- 
stances of  boys,  the  finest  and  brightest  from  the  usual  teacher's 
standpoint,  who,  while  they  could  outrank  all  their  neighbors  in 
the  school,  have  taken  longer  and  found  it  harder  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  world's  demands  than  any  others. 

So  far  for  my  reasons  why  I  favor  manual  training.  I  will  now 
go  to  the  materials  and  the  course  of  instruction. 

If  now  we  admit  that  some  experience  with  things,  some  chance 
to  cultivate  observing,  recording,  collating,  and  the  drawing  of 
conclusions,  is  good  for  boys,  whether  they  are  quick  or  slow, 
whether  they  are  good  or  bad,  how  shall  we  choose  a  scheme 
of  things  ?  How  shall  we  choose  a  material  for  the  course  ? 
Here  we  are,  crowded  into  great  cities.  We  cannot  use  the 
country  fields,  woods,  streams,  etc.,  or  even  the  country  black- 
smith's shop  or  carpenter's  shop ;  our  numbers  are  too  great,  and 
the  country  too  far  away.  Natural  history  is  largely  ruled  out, 
and  experimental  science  is  too  abstruse  and  also  expensive. 
We  come  down  to  the  making  of  objects  as  the  simplest  and 
most  available  plan. 

In  choosing  material,  we  shall  have  to  rule  out  most  of  the 
trades,  as  the  special  machinery  and  materials  used  cost  too 
much.  We  naturally  come  to  the  common  materials  of  con- 
struction, wood,  cast  iron,  wrought  iron.  These  seem  to  answer 
the  purpose  from  both  points  of  view — cheapness  and  availability 
— better  than  any  others.  All  houses  and  buildings,  as  well  as 
engineering  construction,  are  largely,  if  not  wholly,  made  of 


12  ELIOT   SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

these  materials.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  person  so  placed 
that  a  knowledge  of  the  properties  of  the  three  great  construc- 
tion materials — wood,  wrought  iron,  and  cast  iron — should  not  be 
of  great  value  to  him,  whether  he  be  a  laborer,  a  politician,  a 
watchmaker,  a  lawyer,  an  engineer,  a  physician,  or  a  minister.  If, 
then,  the  child  can  obtain  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  common 
materials  and  tools  of  daily  life  while  he  is  getting  his  intel- 
lectual training  from  them,  how  much  greater  the  benefit  of  the 
course  !  So  much  for  the  materials. 

Permit  me  now  for  a  few  moments  to  consider  the  schemes  of 
instruction  that  are  before  the  public. 

There  are  two  principal  ways  of  teaching  the  properties  and 
modes  of  using  materials.  One  is  called  the  trade-school.  The 
other  is  called  the  manual  training  school ;  and  of  this  there  are 
two  varieties  now  before  the  public — Swedish  manual  training,  or 
Sloyd,  and  Russian  manual  training. 

How  shall  we  apply  this  system  of  tool-work?  Shall  we 
adopt  a  trade-school,  a  Swedish  manual  training,  or  a  Russian 
manual  training  school  ?  The  newspapers  are  talking  about  all 
of  these  different  schools.  Which  shall  we  adopt  for  our  Boston 
'boys  and  girls  ? 

In  order  to  answer  this  question  we  shall  have  to  sec  what  the 
difference  is  between  these  systems. 

First,  let  us  consider  the  trade-school.  Here  the  pupil  must 
be  taught  upon  life-size  scale.  The  pieces  he  works  upon  must 
be  as  large  as  they  would  be  in  practice.  The  stock  will  be  a 
great  expense.  To  pay  for  this,  we  must  have  the  boy  make  a 
large  number  of  any  one  article  that  he  has  learned  how  to  make 
in  order  that  the  expense  of  his  early  clumsiness  may  be  paid  for 
through  his  later  skill  by  the  sale  of  the  articles  he  has  made. 
The  school,  then,  must  become  a  factory,  of  which  goods,  and 
not  boys,  are  the  principal  products.  That  alone  is  enough  to 
condemn  trade-schools  for  boys  and  girls.  The  main  object  for 
which  a  taxpayer  supports  the  public  school  is  that  the  boys  and 
girls  may  be  educated  to  the  best  advantage,  not  that  the  doors, 
and  bedsteads,  chairs,  etc.,  that  the  school  produces,  may  be 
saleable. 

Again,  suppose,  in  our  public  schools,  where  we  may  have  the 
children  one-half  day  per  week  on  manual  training,  we  tried  to 
teach  the  trade  of  carpentry.  We  will  say  that  we  start  the 
class  in  making  chests  of  drawers,  in  September.  They  require 
the  first  month  to  make  the  first  dovetailed  corner  of  the  first 
drawer.  The  dovetails  are  horrible  to  look  at.  The  next  month 
perhaps,  they  make  the  other  three  dovetails  of  the  first  drawer, 
each  one  better  than  the  last ;  but  the  drawer  will  not  lie  down 
flat :  it  is  up  at  one  corner  and  down  at  the  next.  Each  new 


ELIOT   SCHOOL    COURSE    OF    MANUAL   TRAIMMJ.  13 

piece  the  boy  makes  better  than  the  last ;  and,  if  he  has  been  so 
fortunate  as  to  get  through  his  chest  of  drawers  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  it  will  not  be  a  satisfactory  job, — it  will  be  a  history  of  his 
advancing  skill,  beginning  with  the  poorest  workmanship  at  one 
corner,  going  on  until  the  last  degree  of  skill  was  obtained.  He 
will  have  worked  all  the  year  with  his  early  failures  staring  him 
in  the  face,  and  telling  him  that  his  year's  work  must  be  a  failure, 
however  hard  he  may  try.  The  fact  is,  the  time  is  too  limited  to 
make  him  a  carpenter,  even  if  we  wished  to  make  him  one,  which 
we  do  not. 

Let  us  now  look  at  a  trade-school  from  another  point  of  view. 
If  we  put  in  a  shoemaking  course  in  the  public  schools,  we  may 
either  have  a  good,  enthusiastic  teacher  or  a  poor,  indifferent  one. 
If  the  latter,  the  course  would  amount  to  nothing,  and  had  better 
be  left  out ;  but,  if  the  former,  observe  the  consequences :  all  the 
children  would  rush  into  the  course.  This  course  would  be  the 
largest  and  most  popular  of  all  the  elective  departments.  The 
city  would  soon  be  flooded  with  young,  only  partly  fledged  shoe- 
makers ;  and  then  the  trades-union  would  step  in,  and  the  imperial 
voter  would  say,  "Stop!  we  can't  have  this." 

Again,  observe  that  the  masons'  trade  would  say  to  City  Hall, 
"  We  refuse  to  pay  taxes  to  support  a  shoemakers'  school,  when 
you  do  not  give  us  a  masons'  school  to  teach  our  boys."  Which- 
ever side  of  the  fence  the  voter  is,  he  has  a  well-defined  case  for 
grumbling. 

We  may  say,  then,  for  lack  of  time,  from  high  cost,  from  polit- 
ical reasons,  from  total  inappropriateness,  a  trade-school  is  not 
suitable  to  the  public  school  system  for  boys  or  girls. 

Professor  Runkle  tells  me  that  this  trade-school  idea  was  tried 
at  the  great  Technical  School  at  Moscow  from  about  1844  to 
1868,  that  it  failed  through  that  whole  period  to  produce  the 
effects  sought,  and  that  in  1868  the  Russian  manual  training  in 
wood  was  first  started,  which  has  since  that  time  produced  such 
wonderful  results  in  brightening  up  dull  boys  and  in  ballast  ing 
bright  boys.  There  are  places  for  trade  schools,  and  they  have 
their  uses.  For  instance,  in  a  large  city  like  New  York,  there  are 
many  paupers,  some  of  them,  perhaps  most  of  them,  supported  by 
charity  or  in  the  reformatory.  There  are  some  of  them,  however, 
who,  if  they  were  given  a  trade,  would  go  to  work  and  earn  their 
living,  and  be  glad  to  do  it.  A  trade-school  for  nearly  or  quite 
grown  up  men  under  those  circumstances,  if  discreetly  managed, 
will  be  a  success. 

Again,  a  trade-school  is  quite  in  place  where  a  large  firm  or 
company  find  they  have  a  deficit  of  a  certain  class  of  skilled  labor, 
and  it  is  cheaper  and  better  to  educate  them  than  to  import.  In 
certain  districts  of  England  and  Germany,  where  the  whole  town 


14  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE   OF   MANUAL    TRAINING, 

is  devoted  to  one  kind  of  manufacture. — as  weaving,  for  instance, — 
very  successful  trade-schools  exist.  They  fill  a  very  important 
want,  and  do  not  flood  the  market,  because  the  market  is  so  very 
large. 

We  now  come  to  the  various  kinds  of  manual  training,  of  which 
the  Swedish  and  the  Russian  manual  training  are  the  two  most 
prominent  examples.  These  systems  do  not  strive  to  teach  any 
trade  at  all.  They  strive  to  teach  the  principles  which  underlie 
all  trades.  They  bear  the  same  relations  to  trade-schools  that 
the  modern  inductive  scientific  method  of  thought  does  to  the  old 
rule-of-thumb  method, — do  this  because  your  grandfather  did  it 
so.  If  it  was  good  enough  for  your  grandfather,  it  is  good  enough 
for  you. 

Manual  training  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  great  modern  move- 
ment which  is  coming  into  everything ;  namely,  observe,  record, 
collate,  conclude.  And,  so  long  as  this  mental  faculty  is  seized 
upon  and  developed  in  the  child,  I  do  not  care  whether  he  makes 
a  complete  chest  of  drawers  or  only  one  corner  of  one  drawer. 
It  is  the  boy  we  are  making,  not  furniture. 

Let  us  now  make  an  analytical  comparison  between  the  Swe- 
dish and  Russian  methods.  The  Swedish  makes  finished  articles. 
The  Russian  makes  mainly  typical  pieces,  with  only  an  occasional 
finished  piece.  They  are  both  progressive ;  that  is,  advance  by 
steps  from  simpler  to  more  complex.  The  Swedish  selects  its 
course  from  the  small  wooden  articles  used  in  the  house  and 
garden.  It  teaches  symmetry  of  form.  The  Russian  selects  the 
various  fittings  used  by  the  carpenter  in  building  and  furnishing 
a  house.  It  teaches  exactness  of  fit.  The  pieces  judge  them- 
selves. The  Swedish  seeks  to  please  the  child  by  the  value  of 
the  article  he  carries  home,  and  to  develop  him  by  progressive 
steps  in  tools  and  work.  The  Russian  seeks  to  awaken  a  child 
by  preliminary  work,  and  to  charm  him  by  his  own  development. 
The  Swedish  uses  the  drawing  only  on  the  piece.'  The  Russian 
uses  the  working  drawing  independently  of  the  piece.  The  Swe- 
dish is  accepted  by  all  children  of  ten  years :  it  is  a  delight  to 
them,  and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  keeping  up  their  interest  during 
the  early  stages.  The  interest,  however,  can  hardly  last  through 
a  series  of  years.  The  Russian  is  apt  to  flag  a  little  at  first,  with 
boys  of  even  twelve  years,  before  the  effect  has  been  produced 
and  the  idea  absorbed ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  child's  mind  has  begun 
to  react,  advancement  is  a  delight  to  both  teacher  and  pupil. 
Pupils  who  at  the  start  clamored  for  finished  pieces  come  later 
and  say:  "I  was  mistaken,  you  knew  best."  "I  am  satisfied  the 
course  is  much  better  than  if  I  were  making  finished  pieces." 

As  to  the  appropriateness  of  one  or  another  course,  I  think  we 
may  obtain  some  light  in  this  way :  A  child  needs  the  incentive 


ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OP    MANUAL   TRAIXWJ.  1  ~> 

of  the  finished  pieces  when  he  is  young, — say  ten  to  twelve  years. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  introduction  of  working  drawings  and  tin- 
exercise  of  the  intellect  mil  faculty  of  thinking  out  how  intricate 
mortises  and  other  fittings  can  be  made,  while  they  would  fall 
flat  on  a  child  of  ten  to  twelve  years  old,  are  thoroughly  appreci- 
ated and  profited  by  in  the  case  of  a  child  thirteen  to  fifteen 
years, — the  older,  the  more  so.  Therefore,  we  find  in  the  very 
principles  which  control  each  of  these  systems  the  strongly  indi- 
cated opinion  that  the  Swedish  should  come  earlier,  say  ten  to 
twelve,  and  the  Russian  later,  say  thirteen  to  fifteen. 

Having  now  compared  the  Swedish  and  Russian  methods,  what 
are  we  to  advise?  Clearly,  we  need  them  both.  Shall  we  take 
them  unchanged  as  they  are  from  abroad  ?  Let  us  look  at  exper- 
ience. Can  any  foreign  manufactory  succeed  in  this  country  with- 
out proper  adaptation  ?  Answer,  No,  never.  Can  any  foreign 
institution  be  imported  without  change,  and  succeed  in  this 
country  without  at  first  being  adapted  to  the  genius  of  our  people  ? 
Answer,  No,  never.  There  is  clearly  here  a  double  reason  for 
adaptation.  The  two  schemes  will  both  need  to  be  adapted  to 
our  country,  but  they  must  also  be  adapted  to  each  other.  For 
instance,  we  may  look  for  the  weak  and  the  strong  points  of  each 
system,  and  then  see  if  we  cannot  so  wreld  them  together  that  the 
strong  points  of  the  one  system  supplement  the  weak  points  of  the 
other.  I  think  a  little  welding  or  splicing  between  the  ends  of 
these  two  courses  will  be  found  to  remove  the  weak  points  of 
both,  and  as  a  result,  give  us  one  continuous  whole,  strong  at 
every  point,  which  will  hold  the  interest  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
pupils  throughout  the  last  four  years  of  the  grammar  school.  In 
order  to  put  this  question  to  the  test,  let  us  place  Swedish  sloyd 
in  the  grammar  school  curriculum,  between  ten  and  twelve  years, 
and  the  Russian  between  thirteen  and  fifteen  years. 

Now,  let  us  see  where  the  weak  points  of  the  two  systems  are. 
We  see  at  once  that  toward  the  end  of  sloyd  the  pupil's  interest 
is  liable  to  wane,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Russian  the  working 
drawing  is  uphill  work  and  hard  for  the  child  at  first.  How  can 
these  two  weak  ends  which  come  together  be  welded  so  as  to 
mutually  strengthen  each  other  ?  This  can  be  done  by  making 
the  working  drawing  the  grand  final  climax  toward  which  both 
these  courses  lead. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  that  sloyd  be  asked  to  recast  its  prog- 
ressive order,  which  is  now  done  upon  a  principle  which  in  idea, 
but  not  in  fact,  may  be  expressed  by  saying :  — 

Lesson  one,  whittle  on  one  side  of  a  stick,  one  surface. 

Lesson  two,  whittle  on  two  sides  of  a  stick,  two  surfaces,  one 
edge. 


16  ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE   OF    MANUAL    TRAINING. 

Lesson  three,  whittle  on  two  sides  and  end  of  a  stick,  three 
surfaces,  three  edges. 

Lesson  four,  use  knife  and  file  on  a  stick. 

Lesson  five,  use  knife,  file,  and  sandpaper  on  a  stick ;  and  so 
on,  adding  an  exercise  or  a  tool  at  every  new  piece. 

Let  the  course  as  it  now  is  to  be  recast  around  the  central 
idea  or  a  final  working  drawing.  To  do  this,  place  together  for 
the  eleven-year-old  boys  all  the  pieces  which  work  upon  two- 
dimension  stuff,  say  one-fourth  inch  thick.  The  boy  draws  his 
piece  upon  the  wood,  making  the  simple  horizontal  projection  of 
it.  Let  the  pieces  be  so  laid  out  that  the  work  will  be 
progressive  in  every  sense  that  Swedish  work  is  pro- 
gressive. The  pupil  will  here  learn  to  draw  plane  pieces,  and 
to  cut  them  out  accurately,  and  to  make  finished  objects  by 
combining  them ;  and,  over  and  above  all  the  other  benefits  of 
the  course,  he  will  acquire  the  idea  of  the  plan  of  an  object ;  we 
may  call  this  two-dimension  work. 

The  twelve-year-old  pupil  is  given  three-dimension  work,  on 
thicker  stock.  He  draws  sections  on  the  face,  the  side  and  the 
end  of  the  piece,  and  then  works  down  to  the  finished  shape. 
For  this  purpose  ,all  of  the  sloyd  pieces  suitable  for  this  work 
are  arranged  in  series,  going  from  simple  to  more  complex. 
During  this  year  he  has  learned  the  idea  of  the  plan,  the  elevation 
and  the  end  view  of  the  object,  but  does  not  yet  know  that  he  has 
learned  them. 

The  thirteen-year-old  pupil  now  begins  the  Russian  course  with 
his  drawings,  the  difficulty  of  which  has  entirely  vanished  be- 
cause his  two  previous  years  have  led  him  up  to  it.  He  has  been 
learning  the  principles  of  the  working  drawing  without  knowing 
that  he  was  learning  them.  The  difficulty  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Russian  scheme  is  therefore  entirely  removed. 

The  sloyd  pieces  that  call  out  the  artistic  qualities  of  the 
child  may  be  suitably  interspersed  throughout  the  course  without 
conflicting  with  the  working  drawing  idea.  Perhaps  the  greatest 
charm  of  all  in  this  manual  training  is  the  case  in  which  a  child 
may  be  brought,  at  stated  stages  in  his  advancement,  to  attitudes 
where  he  knows  more  than  he  thinks  he  does.  The  discovery 
which  follows  is  a  very  great  delight  and  incentive  to  progress. 

The  Russian  set  of  pieces  has  already  been  worked  out  for  a 
two  years'  course,  and  it  will  therefore  provide  for  the  remainder 
of  the  grammar  school  curriculum. 

We  have  thus  reached  a  finished  working  drawing  as  the 
climax  toward  which  the  four  years  have  been  systematically 
tending,  and  which  is  not  only  one  of  the  greatest  tools  of 
modern  progress,  but  also  is  a  new  mode  of  thought  expression, 


ELIOT    SCHOOL    COURSE    OP    MANUAL   TRAINING.  17 

a  universal  language.  There  is  no  reason  why  a  fourteen-year- 
old  boy  who  has  been  through  these  four  years  should  not  under- 
stand an  ordinary  simple  working  drawing  as  well  as  an  engineer 
of  thirty  years  does  now,  and  he  has  been  gaining  besides  all 
the  advantages  of  the  tool  course;  namely,  skill,  accuracy, 
throughness,  and  mental  power  throughout  the  entire  course. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  say,  I  do  not  claim  originality  for 
anything  contained  in  this  paper.  The  ideas  are  all  in  the  very 
air  we  breathe.  Perhaps  of  all  the  friends  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted, I  am  more  so  to  Profesor  Runkle  and  Mr.  MacAlister, 
both  of  whom  have  helped  me  greatly.  I  wish  also  to  mention 
Mr.  F.  M.  Leavitt  of  the  Eliot  School  in  Jamaica  Plain,  who  has 
been  the  living,  connecting  link  between  me  and  manual  training 
for  the  last  two  years.  Many  of  his  ideas  are  embodied  in  this 
paper. 

Finally,  I  wish  to  Say  that,  while  it  may  have  seemed  to  out- 
siders that  Boston  was  not  progressing  as  rapidly  as  other  cities 
in  these  matters,  there  has  not  been  a  time  since  the  first  school 
was  opened  in  1876  till  the  present  moment  when  there  has  not 
been  pioneer  work  going  on  in  these  lines ;  all  of  it  has  been  in 
the  right  direction,  and  all  of  it  good.  It  may  not  be,  any  of  it 
the  exact  final  scheme  which  the  city  shall  adopt ;  but  it  has  been 
ploughing  the  furrow,  and  sowing  the  seed,  which  is  to  give 
Boston  a  good  system,  and,  while  doing  so,  it  has  been  for  the 
boys  who  have  received  the  training  an  inspiration  to  mental 
development  in  a  degree  that  words  can  hardly  express. 


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